Nowadays, engineering large-scale software systems means dealing with complex systems composed of pervasive software components that move around and adapt to nondeterministic and open environments, like the Internet, in order to achieve systems design goals through the coordination of autonomously distributed services. The agent metaphor, in particular software agents and multi-agent systems (MAS), constitutes a promising approach for covering most of the software development life cycle, from conceptual modeling and requirements specification to architectural definition, design, and implementation. This book presents 17 carefully reviewed papers arranged in order to provide a coherent survey of how to exploit agent properties and MAS issues in today's software systems. The book offers the following topical sections: - software engineering foundations - requirements engineering and software architecture - coordination and mobility - reuse -dependability -empirical studies and applications

This book presents a coherent, well-balanced survey of recent advances in software engineering approaches to the design and analysis of realistic large-scale multi-agent systems (MAS). The chapters included are devoted to various techniques and methods used to cope with the complexity of real-world MAS. Reflecting the importance of agent properties in today's software systems, the power of agent-based software engineering is illustrated using examples that are representative of successful applications.

Semantic agent systems are about the integration of the semantic Web, software agents, and multi-agent systems technologies. Like in the past (e.g. biology and informatics yielding bioinformatics) a whole new perspective is emerging with semantic agent systems. In this context, the semantic Web is a Web of semantically linked data which aims to enable man and machine to execute tasks in tandem. Here, software agents in a multi-agent system as delegates of humans are endowed with power to use semantically linked data. This edited book “Semantic Agent Systems: Foundations and Applications” proposes contributions on a wide range of topics on foundations and applications written by a selection of international experts. It first introduces in an accessible style the nature of semantic agent systems. Then it explores with numerous illustrations new frontiers in software agent technology. “Semantic Agent Systems: Foundations and Applications” is recommended for scientists, experts, researchers, and learners in the field of artificial intelligence, the semantic Web, software agents, and multi-agent systems technologies.

"This book addresses the complex issues associated with software engineering environment capabilities for designing real-time embedded software systems"--Provided by publisher.

Self-organisation, self-regulation, self-repair and self-maintenance are promising conceptual approaches for dealing with complex distributed interactive software and information-handling systems. Self-organising applications dynamically change their functionality and structure without direct user intervention, responding to changes in requirements and the environment. This is the first book to offer an integrated view of self-organisation technologies applied to distributed systems, particularly focusing on multiagent systems. The editors developed this integrated book with three aims: to explain self-organisation concepts and principles, using clear definitions and a strong theoretical background; to examine how self-organising behaviour can be modelled, analysed and systematically engineered into agent behaviour; and to assess the types of problems that can be solved using self-organising multiagent systems. The book comprises chapters covering all three dimensions, synthesising up-to-date research work and the latest technologies and applications. The book offers dedicated chapters on concepts such as self-organisation, emergence in natural systems, software agents, stigmergy, gossip, cooperation and immune systems. The book then explains how to engineer artificial self-organising software, in particular it examines methodologies and middleware infrastructures. Finally, the book presents diverse applications of self-organising software, such as constraint satisfaction, trust management, image recognition and networking. The book will be of interest to researchers working on emergent phenomena and adaptive systems. It will also be suitable for use as a graduate textbook, with chapter summaries and exercises, and an accompanying website that includes teaching slides, exercise solutions and research project outlines. Self-organisation, self-regulation, self-repair and self-maintenance are promising conceptual approaches for dealing with complex distributed interactive software and information-handling systems. Self-organising applications dynamically change their functionality and structure without direct user intervention, responding to changes in requirements and the environment. This is the first book to offer an integrated view of self-organisation technologies applied to distributed systems, particularly focusing on multiagent systems. The editors developed this integrated book with three aims: to explain self-organisation concepts and principles, using clear definitions and a strong theoretical background; to examine how self-organising behaviour can be modelled, analysed and systematically engineered into agent behaviour; and to assess the types of problems that can be solved using self-organising multiagent systems. The book comprises chapters covering all three dimensions, synthesising up-to-date research work and the latest technologies and applications. The book offers dedicated chapters on concepts such as self-organisation, emergence in natural systems, software agents, stigmergy, gossip, cooperation and immune systems. The book then explains how to engineer artificial self-organising software, in particular it examines methodologies and middleware infrastructures. Finally, the book presents diverse applications of self-organising software, such as constraint satisfaction, trust management, image recognition and networking. The book will be of interest to researchers working on emergent phenomena and adaptive systems. It will also be suitable for use as a graduate textbook, with chapter summaries and exercises, and an accompanying website that includes teaching slides, exercise solutions and research project outlines.

Provides a comprehensive overview and introduction to the concepts, methodologies, analysis, design and applications of metasynthetic computing and engineering. The author: • Presents an overview of complex systems, especially open complex giant systems such as the Internet, complex behavioural and social problems, and actionable knowledge discovery and delivery in the big data era. • Discusses ubiquitous intelligence in complex systems, including human intelligence, domain intelligence, social intelligence, network intelligence, data intelligence and machine intelligence, and their synergy through metasynthetic engineering. • Explains the concept and methodology of human-centred, human-machine-cooperated qualitative-to-quantitative metasynthesis for understanding and managing open complex giant systems, and its computing approach: metasynthetic computing. • Introduces techniques and tools for analysing and designing problem-solving systems for open complex problems and systems. Metasynthetic Computing and Engineering uses the systematology methodology in addressing system complexities in open complex giant systems, for which it may not only be effective to apply reductionism or holism. The book aims to encourage and inspire discussions, design, implementation and reflection of effective methodologies and tools for computing and engineering open complex systems and problems. Researchers, research students and practitioners in complex systems, artificial intelligence, data science, computer science, and even system science, cognitive science, behaviour science, and social science, will find this book invaluable.

Discover the latest developments and issues in multi-agent systems by exploring their applications in various domains such as electronic markets, e-tourism, ambience intelligence, and complex system analysis. The book is written by two researchers with hands-on experience in technology transfer. With their practical focus, they help you see how agent technology can be applied in many new services and environments.